Hopefully the weather gets warm and stays that way soon. Im working on the heater system in my 78 wagon.

I took the control box apart and found both cables detached at the controls. The ends of the cables are like springs and slide over a post on the end of the control levers. I pushed them both back on but one refuses to stay,every time I move the heater lever that spring pops off the end of the post it goes over.

It probably has to turn or rotate on that post, so I dont think gluing it on there will be a good idea.What do I do now?

Go to a hardware store and pick up a couple of spring clips, the circular type with a hole in center and slits around the hole to let you push the clip on and then it stays put. They look like a very thin washer and come in more than one size to match to different size studs. They are for retaining things on a blank stud with no threads on it or groove for a circlip.

I think that post is flat on two sides and round on the edges and over the top sort of like a popsickle stick shape. How does that retainer work does it bite into the metal? I was thinking about trying to bend the top over so the spring cant slide up off the top

I didn't put the retainers back on mine, but the housing mount keeps it from having the room to slip off the post. Maybe there is more tension on yours, causing more pressure on the cable and allowing it to force it self off. At any rate, maybe just lube up the pivots on everything to free up any extra cable tension. Or possibly just put a little ball of jb weld on the end of the post, over the cable end.

Don't bend posts like said. Yes, the clips or nuts grab into the metal when the slightly too small hole then folds the leaves to dig in at an angle, they push on fairly easy but stop where you need to, they don't come back off without destroying them. Cost maybe 30 cents each at hardware store. I just bought one couple days ago to make a shim for my cordless drill motor, rebuilding it. ACE carries them. Flats or no on the posts, if the nut fits tight enough to grab good you're there.